I discovered the work of Jess Fügler last week when I visited the Royal College of Art’s (RCA) summer show. Jess has just graduated from its Design Products programme where she studied under Simon Hasan and Alexander Taylor. This project, titled Inked, uses the craft of tattooing to insert ink below the top layer of sheets of leather, and in doing so, leaves an indelible mark and colourful pattern. The process is called ‘subdermal printing’ and she had the machine on display and working in the show. So far Jess has made bags, ipad and phone covers, but the possibilities are endless. She says: ‘Unlike tattooing by hand, there is complete control of the process, allowing for precision and exact geometry. This results in a print that is completely customisable and will not wear away with time.’
You catch watch a video of the process here.
